"I'm humbled by this exceptional honor of being asked to join and collaboratively work with the academic leaders and the dedicated students of its pharmacy school to ensure the continued success and growth of this outstanding program during this period of transition," Killian said.

He takes over management of UMES' pharmacy program from Dr. Nicholas R. Blanchard, who announced in late November he will become dean of pharmacy at West Coast University in Los Angeles this spring.

Blanchard's last day at UMES is Jan. 24. He was hired in 2008 to launch the School of Pharmacy , which enrolled its first class in August 2010.

Killian, who in addition to his job at PRMC also is a UMES professor, moves into his new administrative duties today. He'll continue to hold positions at both institutions while UMES conducts a national search for a new dean.

"We're fortunate to have a professional of Dr. Killian's caliber and experience in our midst to help us through this leadership transition," UMES President Juliette B. Bell said.

Bell said Killian's appointment as interim dean underscores the cooperation between the university and PRMC, which provides requisite field experience training required of pharmacy students. That collaborative relationship was an important factor in UMES' pharmacy program earning national accreditation in June 2013 just a month after its inaugural class graduated.

UMES is among a handful of universities that offer an accelerated, year-round curriculum enabling students to earn doctorates in three years.

Peninsula Regional hired Killian in 2004 and a year later named him its pharmacy operations coordinator. He is responsible for a department with nearly five dozen fulltime employees who provide pharmaceutical service to the medical center's patients.

Prior to joining PRMC, Killian worked at Shore Health System in Cambridge, Md. and Upper Chesapeake Health System in Havre de Grace, Md.

He earned a Pharm.D. and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, where he graduated with honors. At UMES, he has taught pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical calculations and pharmacy automation, where he has special interest.

"His colleagues here at the university and I'm told at Peninsula Regional Medical Center hold him in high regard," said Dr. Ronald Nykiel, UMES' chief academic policymaker. "We're confident his reputation as an educator-leader will translate into a positive experience for our students and our program going forward."